Gallery: 2011 Chevy Cruze 2LT

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You may have heard on a recent GM Authority Weekly podcast that GM Authority Founder Alex Luft has purchased a brand new Cruze 2LT. His compact Delta II-based sedan has about every option imaginable, save for the navigation system, sunroof, and the RS/ECO packages — but it does include leather, remote start, and those sweet 17-inch flangeless wheels. And so we’ve prepared a gallery of the GM Authority Cruze just for your enjoyment.

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11 Comments

Thanks for the amazingly detailed pictures, guys! Like I said before, this is the only place on the web where you can get certain information. I haven’t seen this level of closeup shots of the Cruze anywhere else.

A couple of things: first of all, what state is this? The scenery is beautiful, as are the houses. secondly, would you mind commenting on the driving dynamics of the Cruze. Specifically, I have read about a turbo lag during acceleration from standing. Have you experienced this, and if so, is there a way to control it so it isn’t dangerous?

The pictures were taken in Colorado Springs, CO. The “rocks” in the background are those found in Garden of the Gods park. And yes, those are houses in the background. Must be nice to live there!

As for the driving dynamics, we’ll have some detailed video segments coming up at the end of the month — but for now, the car drives and handles great. Everything — including interior, build quality, ride, handling, feature set – is on the level of a Lexus IS! The only downside of the Cruze is the power. The fact that the turbo is only available with the AUTO transmission highlights the turbo lag even more. Chevy has openly stated that the 1.4L Turbo ECOTEC reaches peak power around 1,900 RPM — but I haven’t found this to be the case at all.

In my experience (2,000 miles on the odo as of this writing), the turbo kicks in around 3,200 RPM — and it can be very dangerous. At 3,000+ RPM, the lag is noticeable and significant. One really needs to be aware and used to the turbo’s power before flooring it, especially in close-quarter traffic.

The lag, however, can be somewhat mitigated with the Cruze ECO equipped with the manual transmission — but for me, the styling of the ECO is totally unattractive.

I’m averaging about 24 MPG right now — about 50/50 highway and city driving. But I seem to be in the manumatic phase more than anything now — revving it up and down as much every chance I get here in the twisties — so it’s probably not a good estimate of the optimal MPG your average (non-enthusiast) driver will get. I’ll have a more detailed video review out later this month.

Looking good. I would have loved to see some shots of the engine, but I suppose those will come in due time. But you surprise me, Alex. I thought you were more of a Camaro-with-the-six-speed-manual kinda guy. Not that the Cruze-with-the-six-speed-automatic persona is a bad thing, in fact it’s closer to my personality.